Guidelines & best practices

Drawing on the best available technical and scientific knowledge and on practical experiences gained from field projects, FAO’s Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) develops guidelines and best practices to promote livestock production practices which ensure the sustainable use of natural resources for the production of safe and healthy food and non-food products, in a humane manner, while achieving economic viability and social stability.

These guidelines and best practices are not meant to be legally binding but aim to provide a framework for farmers, industry and governments within which to formulate standards and codes of practice that are adapted to their specific social, environmental, and economic circumstances. AGA develops guidelines and best practices to conform with FAO’s four pillars of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) which apply to all scales and types of farming: (i) efficient production of sufficient, safe and high quality food and non-food products; (ii) sustainable use of resources; (iii) viability of farming enterprises and contribution to sustainable livelihoods; and (iv) responsiveness to the cultural and social demands of society.

In developing these guidelines, AGA works in close association and consultation with other FAO departments and services, particularly with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint FAO/WHO Commission entrusted with developing food standards, guidelines and related texts under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.